


Remember My Name

by CaptainKirby



Category: Original Work
Genre: Amnesia, Car Accidents, Confusion, Names, Song Lyrics, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainKirby/pseuds/CaptainKirby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girl couldn't remember who she was, where she was, or why she was when she woke up in the middle of that road. But she was there for a reason, and she's going to find that reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Epiphany

When she woke up, she only knew two things. There were stars above her, and a throbbing pain in the back of her head. She didn't know where she was, who she was, or why she was. A song played somewhere nearby, repeating the same lyrics:

 

_I took, I took your memories_

_I took, I took your memories_

_Forced amnesia, an epiphany won't see ya_

 

"Oh my god, are you ok?" A boy ran over and offered her a hand. She didn't take it.

"C'mon, we have to get you out of the road." he said. It was only at this point that the girl noticed the hard asphalt underneath her. But she still didn't get up.

"W-where am I?" she stammered

"I just told you you're in the middle of the road."

"Who are you?"

The boy paused for a moment. He cocked his head to the side, and crouched next to the girl.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I... I don't know."

The boy's face froze. He stood up and started pacing back and forth.

"Oh my god, I'm so screwed. So screwed. My parents are going to kill me. Hell, your parents are going to kill me. My parents and your parents and Kelly and Erica and—"

The girl sat up. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You just knocked yourself out on the road in the middle of nowhere at one in the morning! That's what's wrong. And apparently you can't remember any of it. That's what's wrong. That's why I'm screwed." The boy shouted back. He paused and looked at the terrified girl on the ground. It was weird to see her with that kind of expression, since she had never been afraid of the boy. Even before she woke up. Her mess of hair kept back in a pony tail stood on end, although it was always like that.

"Sorry, sorry. It's not your fault. It's mine." The boy said, "Let's just get you to a hospital, ok?"

He offered the girl a hand again, and this time she took it. She still looked dazed, like she was watching a dream drift in front of her dark brown eyes. The boy couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Hello, your name is Ryan. Nice to meet you." The boy said as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you too—" and then he was replaced by a brown blur that stopped forty feet down the street. The car hadn't seen them in the middle of the highway. It didn't help that the driver had just turned onto the road and didn't have time to slow down. It also didn't help that the driver was drunk out of his mind. He stumbled out of the car. Ryan would've said something to him, but couldn't find any words to say. She had been awake for only a few minutes, and the one other person she spoke to was now laying limply on the asphalt. The stars were out that night. If he saw them as he passed it would've been a great way to go out. But Ryan didn't think of that. She thought about how she didn't even know his name.            

"Hey!"

Ryan turned to the drunk man calling to her.

"He... he had it comin'" He said. Ryan nodded, even though she didn't agree. Her eyes still open wide with astonishment. The man hobbled back into his car and drove away. She was alone, in the middle of a mountain road, with only the moonlight and the starlight above. And the dead body that she refused to look at. The car parked on the side of the street still played that one song.

 

_I took, I took your memories_

_I took, I took your memories_

_Forced amnesia, an epiphany won't see ya_

 

She couldn't remember his name. He's dead now. And that's all Ryan could tell you about him. Everyone deserves better than a nameless death. At least, that's what Ryan believed. And that's why she clenched her fists and got in the car. Because a search for anything has to start somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics are from the song Epiphany by Feint and TwoThirds featuring Veela


	2. Numb

A smart phone sat in the front seat cup holders next to the keys. Ryan picked up the phone and called 911. Her heart rate sped up with each ring.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"A-a person was just hit by a car."

"Ok, can you tell me where you are?" The operator said calmly. He had dealt with a good deal of panicked teenagers in his time.

"I.... I don't know."

"Can you figure that out?"

"Ok." Ryan fumbled with the phone to pull up the map app. She could barely read the name of the road, since her hand shook so much.

"I'm on country road 14."

"Can you tell me where on country road 14 you are?"

"Near... near 36th street?" She replied after looking at the map some more.

"Ok. We're sending someone your way now." And then Ryan hung up. She took deep breaths to slow her heart rate down. She couldn't figure out why she was so scared. It was over. He was dead. Nothing was going to happen to her The music had gone onto the next song.

 

_I've become so numb, I can't feel you there_

_Become so tired, so much more aware_

_By becoming this, all I want to do_

_Is be more like me, and less like you_

 

The phone buzzed in her hand.

She screamed.

Ryan definitely needed to calm down. She checked the caller ID. It was "Mom". Ryan answered the call. She didn't know whose mom. She couldn't tell who the phone belonged to.

"Young mister, you are in _so much trouble_." the woman said, "You better get back here _right this second_."

"I-I, I'm sorry." Ryan didn't know what she was apologizing for.

"Wait, is this Jennifer?"

"No..."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm Ryan."

"Goddamn it. I'm so sorry. I either made a mistake with the number or... did you find this phone on the ground?"

"No."

"Strange. But I am so sorry." the woman hung up. The phone rang again not long afterwards.

"You are in _so much trouble_." The same woman said. But Ryan cut her off before she got any further.

"You've called me again."

"Really? This is definitely my son's phone."

"I found it in an unlocked car on the side of the highway."

"What? Is there someone else there?"

"No..." Not any live ones. But Ryan decided against telling her that.

"Oh my god." the woman hung up with a click. Ryan started looking around the car. Maybe something in there would clue her in on his name.

In the back, there was a thermos full of hot chocolate with the name "Jennifer Fray" written on it, a small telescope, and a piece of paper with a punch of dots on it. The name "Jennifer" kept coming up again and again. Ryan couldn't help but wonder who she was. But Jennifer was obviously not the boy on the ground. The police arrived a few minutes after she examined the paper with the dots. Some groups of dots were labeled with illegible names. Or maybe they weren't in English. Either way, she couldn't read it.

She answered all the questions the officer asked as best she could. When he wanted a last name, Ryan had to tell him she didn't know.

"How do you not know your last name?"

"I was told that I hit my head and now I can't remember anything."

"Ok..." Something about the tone of his voice suggested that he didn't think that hitting your head worked that way, but he wrote it down.

"An ambulance is coming. You should go with them to the hospital for sure." Ryan nodded and turned to sit in the car until the ambulance came. She only just started to notice the cold. It was the middle of fall, with not a single cloud in the sky. The music was still playing. The playlist consisted mostly of progressive house rock and other kinds of electronic music. Each new song sounded a little bit like nostalgia. Until it was covered up by the sound of sirens.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics are from the song Numb, by Lincoln Park.


	3. Vagrant

Ryan was released from the hospital without much hassle. She was surprised that she didn't have any kind of concussion, at least that's what the doctors said. And she wasn't going to complain about that. She stood outside for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do next. No one else was out at 3AM, and Ryan didn't have a car. She remembered the phone still resting in her pocket. It had a bunch of names in the contact list, including one that Ryan recognized: Kelly. The boy had mentioned this name before, right? Ryan called the number.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Do you know who owns this phone?"

"Jennifer, why are you asking me this?"

"My name isn't Jennifer, it's Ryan."

"Really? Because you sound a lot like Jennifer..."

''I don't know who she is, and I don't know why everyone keeps thinking I'm her."

"Well, it's just that this is Blake's phone, and he's out with a girl named Jennifer... and yeah."

Ryan swallowed, "Uh... Blake might be dead."

"What?"

"He might have been hit by a car."

"What do you mean 'might'? You know what, never mind. This might be a bad idea, but this would be an easier conversation in person, where are you?"

"At the hospital."

"Ok, I'm coming to pick you up. It sounds like you've had a long day."

"You have no idea. Thanks." For some reason, Ryan felt more comfortable talking to Kelly. Maybe it's because they were the same age. But her voice sounded familiar. Ryan looked through the phone more as she waited for Kelly to arrive. She felt a little bad about going through the boy's phone. I guess, it's Blake's phone now. His name was Blake. Definitely Blake. It just sounded right. Seemed to fit with the green eyes and the long, brown hair.

Ryan scrolled through pictures of sunsets, and landscapes. Not a lot of people were on his phone. Except for one picture. There were a bunch of people packed into a school hallway, smiling at the camera. Ryan chuckled when she saw the people in the very back, trying to get through the clutter of teenagers. The faces all looked familiar, but she couldn't place any. Just before Ryan moved on to the next picture, she heard music come from the car pulling into the hospital parking lot.

 

 

_There's a reason she's alone_

_You can't pin her down_

_Because no one needs her home_

_Or needs her around, she says_

_"There's beauty in the air_

_A chip in the sky_

_So don't be sad because I roam_

_It keeps me alive_

The beat-up white sedan parked in front of Ryan. A blond girl in a tank top got out and ran over to hug Ryan.

"Jennifer! What are you doing here?"

"I'm not Jennifer!" Ryan half-shouted back. That name kept coming back to haunt her. She wasn't Jennifer. Kelly slowly backed away.

"No... your name is definitely Jennifer. Are you ok?"

"Why are you convinced my name is Jennifer? Do I look that much like her? Really?"

"Yes. You are definitely Jennifer. I've known you for three years."

"I don't even know your name."

"How?"

"To be fair... I didn't even know who I was a few hours ago."

"Ok, you're going to get in the car, and explain to me what happened. Because something must've happened. And where's Blake?"

"He's... he's inside. Probably dead."

The girl's face turned blank. The whirlwind of emotions that had spun across her face ended in complete and total bewilderment. Ryan had gone through this enough times that it felt natural, which scared her. She had memories from only the past few hours, and she was already comfortable with Blake's death. It was just wrong.

"Let's get in the car. I need coffee or caffeine, or something." The girl said. Ryan nodded and got in the car. The same song was still playing.

 

_To impress her it's too damn hard_

_To stay loyal without going too far_

_If I see her I can't promise I won't_

_Cry_

"What song is this?" Ryan asked as the girl pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

"Really? You don't remember this song? You used to play this song all the time. Shouldn't it be ingrained into your memory by now?"

"I keep telling you, I'm not Jennifer. You should stop insisting you know everything about me when I don't even know your name."

"My name is Kelly. I don't know how you could've forgotten that."

"I've only known you for ten minutes."

"Do you have a twin sister named Jennifer then? No, stupid question. You're an only child. Anyways, what happened?"

Ryan told her the whole story. All two or three hours of it. Kelly was pretty star struck before, but now she could barely drive the car her mind raced so fast. She had to pull off to the side of the road to hold her head up.

"He's actually dead?"

"Probably."

Kelly's eyes watered, "shit."

"What?"

"WHAT? YOUR FRIEND DIED AND YOU'RE ASKING WHAT? WHAT?" she shouted at Ryan, before crying loudly into Ryan's chest. Up until then, Blake had just been a rag doll who had told Ryan her name. He was there, and then gone. And she hadn't truly comprehended his death. The police officers didn't help, since they'd seen this before and kept straight faces. Kelly was the first person Ryan saw break out into tears over the accident. It was an accident, right? Right.

"Are... Are you ok?" Ryan asked.

"Of course I'm not ok! Blake died! Do you understand what that means? Who the hell did it?"

"I don't know..."

"You don't know? He was killed right in front of you and you don't know who did it?"

"I don't know what's going on! When a man gets out of his car, says one thing to you and then leaves, you don't exactly remember his face! Do you understand what I've gone through? My memories start from someone dying. That's all I know. And you're yelling at me about it?"

Kelly breathed heavily for a few moments, before she said, "We're finding him."

"What?"

"We're finding that god damn son of a bitch."

"I think you need to calm down."

"And I think you need to get pissed off." Kelly replied, "Where did the accident happen?"

"You really want to do this?"

"I'm still confused why you don't. We're going to find the guy that killed Blake. And that's final."

Ryan only had memories from the past few hours, and she hasn't even had the chance to find out who she it. Or who Jennifer was. And what the hell was even going on. She got out of the car calm.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Kelly asked.

"I'm not joining you on your little chase until I get myself straightened out. I don't know who I am really. Who my family is, who my friends are, and why the hell everyone thinks I'm fucking Jennifer. I'm going home." Ryan replied.

"Do you even know where that is?"

Ryan thought for a second, "Damn it. I'm going to the police station then."

"Just get back in the car. I won't go into revenge mode yet. I know who we should go to."

"Who?"

"Please tell me that Blake mentioned Erica."

"He did..."

"Well, we need to see her. She's known you... or Jennifer I guess, longer than me. She'll think of something."

Ryan looked behind her for a moment, and then got back in the car, "Fine."

The song came to a close as Kelly and Ryan drove off, with one last chorus.

_To impress her it's too damn hard_

_To stay loyal without going too far_

_If I see her I can't promise I won't_

_Cry_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics are to the song Vagrant by Feint featuring Veela


	4. Sleepwalker

 

After 15 minutes, Kelly stopped at a house with a sign out front that said "Caution: watch daughter on duty". The lights were on and Ryan could hear the music from outside.

 

_Sleepwalker_

_Where do you go in the night_

_I find you in my dreams_

_I find you in my dreams_

The two of them walked up to the front door. Ryan was about to knock when Kelly just opened the door. Apparently, Kelly and Erica knew each other on a "Barge into my house anytime" basis. Kelly paraded inside while Ryan just stood outside timidly. The house was a mess. Jenga blocks scattered across a table, construction paper littered the floor, and an intricate Lincoln logs set modeling the Empire State Building stood four feet off the ground. A girl with brown hair that stuck out at impossible angles messed with a house of cards.

"Erica!" Kelly shouted.

Erica didn't respond. She just moved her card closer to the top of the house.

"Erica, we need your help."

Still nothing. She was so close to placing it too.

"Are you Erica?" Ryan asked from the doorway. Erica dropped her card and destroyed the castle. She looked up at Ryan.

"I would say that you're very funny, Jennifer, but that sounded sincere." Erica said.

"How many times do I have to say it? I'm not Jennifer."

"I said we needed help." Kelly said.

Erica cocked her head to the side, "The hell?"

"She can't remember anything from more than a few hours ago and she thinks she's not Jennifer."

"You two are real funny, you know that?" Erica said as she opened the refrigerator next to her, "You don't need a gimmick to get in here you know. My parents aren't home. Do you guys want something to drink? I got coke, apple juice..."

"This isn't a joke!"

"I'm having a real hard time believing that." Erica started pouring herself a glass of apple juice.

"You guys don't happen to have cranberry juice?" Ryan asked. Erica put down the juice.

"What?"

"Do you have orange juice?"

"Ok, Jennifer, what the fuck happened to you?"

"Huh?"

"See?" Kelly said.

"First, you hate orange juice. Second, you know I would never have that because I'm allergic to oranges. And third... third.... just what the hell?"

"I told you, she can't remember anything." Kelly said. Ryan was just confused. There was no way she was supposed to know any of that. She couldn't remember the taste of orange juice anyways.

"Is this because you still think I'm Jennifer, because I told you that I'm not her."

"Then who the hell do you think you are?"

"My name is Ryan."

Erica blinked a few times. And then a few more times. And then cleared off a spot on the Jenga table for her glass of apple juice.

"Sit down."

"What?"

"Sit down. We're fixing this."

Ryan and Kelly sat down.

"Ok, so I don't think I fix the whole memory issue, but I think I can fix one thing." she said, and then left. The music was still really loud, so Ryan listened to it while she waited.

 

_Did you come to make it right?_

_Did you come to say good-bye?_

_Did you come to make it right?_

_Did you come to say good-bye?_

 

 

Erica came back with a hand mirror and two year books. One yearbook was from last year, and other was from four years ago. It was obvious, not just because the years were written on each book, but because of the wear on them as well. Erica flipped her book open to pictures of the junior class.

"Ok, so Ryan, look at yourself in the mirror, and then tell me you don't look almost identical to this girl." Erica pointed to the portrait of a girl named Jennifer Frey. Ryan looked at herself in the mirror and in the picture. Both had the same long, brown hair. The same green eyes. Same facial structure. They even had the same freckles.

"Wait... what?" Ryan asked.

"Now here's the part where this makes sense." Erica said. She opened the other yearbook. It was for the local middle school. She flipped to the page with the faces of the eighth grade class. A girl named Ryan Frey in the middle school book looked like a younger version of Jennifer Frey from the high school book.

Erica tipped Ryan's head up to face her, "When I first met you, you weren't Jennifer either. You were Ryan. Ryan Frey. But you resented that name. Said it sounded too much like a boy's name. So you changed it to Jennifer for high school. Most of your friends accepted it, but... well it's kind of funny that you're calling yourself Ryan around us. I've seen you get upset with Blake over so many arguments about this. Like, he was _very_ against the name change. I don't know why, but he just was. You've almost killed him over this."

When Erica said this, Ryan looked down at the ground, and swallowed. Kelly almost started crying again.

"What?" Erica asked.

"Blake... Blake's dead." Ryan said, "He was hit by a car not long after I lost my memories. In fact, it's one of the first things I remember. He... he..."

"He told you your name is Ryan didn't he?"

"Yeah..."

Erica took a few breaths. In and out. She finished her apple juice. Then, she chuckled a little to herself.

"Well, at least he got what he wanted. A night star gazing with Ryan Frey, not Jennifer."

"This isn't funny!" Kelly yelled.

"I know... I know..." Erica chuckled again, "But I can't do much else." A single tear ran down her cheek.

This was the second time Ryan had seen someone cry over Blake's death. And she still couldn't understand it. What did he mean do them? What did he mean to her? She could only remember sharing a few sentences of conversation with her, and that's it. It felt like watching a small character die in a TV series. Not very tear jerking. What did he mean to her?

She looked down at the yearbook from last year. Blake's picture was a few rows down from Ryan's. Blake Tempus. With the long black bangs and the piercing brown eyes. His name felt like so much more than just a name now too. Like he was a real person. Still not enough to make Ryan mourn though.

"Well, time to go." Kelly said.

"Where are we going now?" Ryan asked.

"You know who you are now. We get to go find the son a bitch. C'mon."

"Who?" Erica asked.

"The guy who killed Blake. Wanna join?"

"Of fucking course." Erica replied. The three of them just left the house. Lights on, music blasting that same song that started when they entered.

 

_Now I'm sleepwalking again_

_Now I'm sleepwalking again_

_Sleepwalker, sleepwalker_

_Sleepwalker_

_Where did you go?_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics are to the song Sleepwalker by Illenium


	5. Modest Life

Ryan couldn't help but help but feel trapped in the back seat of Kelly's car driving down that old county road to the place where she woke up. She didn't want to go back there. She didn't want to relive those first memories. But Kelly and Erica weren't exactly giving her a choice. The entire car was silent for the ride down, except for a very ominous song that played through the speakers. Ryan couldn't quite figure out Kelly's taste in music, because it varied drastically.

 

_I'm not waiting, I'm coming for you my love_

_All this waiting is taking it's toll_

"Ok, so we should keep our eyes out for some sort of bar or something. He was probably drunk when he hit Blake, so if we find a bar near here we can maybe figure out who he is." Erica said over the song.

"Wait, what do we do when we find him?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know, call the cops or something."

"Sure, like we have any evidence that he actually did it."

"We'll figure it out later, ok?" Erica said. Both she and Kelly weren't thinking straight. Normally they're good kids who actually think about their actions. But Ryan didn't know that. To her, this was how Erica and Kelly acted normally, so she sunk a little further into the back seat, hoping she'd disappear between the cushions.

"There! Pull over there!" Erica pointed to a large glowing sign that read "O'Riley's Irish pub". It was as Irish as it got, with a picture of a Leprechaun dancing and drinking beer shining brightly on the door. Kelly parked and the three of them got out of the car. Even the parking lot reeked of alcohol and unkempt middle age men. Kelly, Erica and Ryan walked to the door of the pub. When Ryan followed the other two inside, she immediately knew this was a bad idea. The pub had terrible lighting, but she could see the four men looking at her with thirsting eyes. Ryan heard a wolf whistle from somewhere.

"Guys, we should leave." Ryan said. Kelly and Erica gave her confused looks. They understood that Ryan had gone through a lot, but had she been in this same position a few days ago, then Jennifer wouldn't have backed down. She didn't back down from anything. Well, there was one time at an after-prom party with a drunk friend of hers, but that was a one off.

"Shouldn't you be the one who wants closure the most?" Kelly asked, "You watched him die. You _watched_. Don't you feel any need for vengeance?"

And that was part of the problem. They say that videogames and TV desensitizes people. Try living through death from very early on.

"No. I don't."

Erica ignored the others and walked toward the bar, "Excuse me!"

"You are pretty young to be out this late." the bar tender replied.

"Yeah, we won't be out for long. We just want to know if someone left your bar around one when he was obviously drunk?"

"You know, usually I'd ask you if you're insane because I don't just keep tabs on all of my customers, but the only guy who left around then is a friend of mine who comes here quite often."

"Great, could you tell me where he lives then?"

"Why?"

Erica looked over her shoulder at Ryan and said, "we found something he forgot."

"Hmmm..." The bartender looked the three teenagers over, "sounds legit. Give me a second."

The bartender took out a piece of paper and wrote an address on it for Erica. She took it and the three of them left the bar as fast as their tired legs would carry them. It felt like the transaction took years, but the car was still playing the same song that was being played.

 

_I'm not waiting, I'm coming for you my love_

_All this waiting is taking it's toll_

 

It sent shivers down Ryan's spine as Kelly pulled out onto the highway again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics are from Modest Life by RÜFUS


	6. The Take Down

Ryan's mind raced during the entire car ride to the drunk man's house. They were doing it. They were really doing it. The three of them were about to confront a man about a murder. He was the second person she ever remembered seeing. Ryan rocked in her seat. Erica and Kelly didn't say a word, until they reached the house.

"Here we are. House 9116." Erica said. Kelly pulled up to the curb. The house wasn't the shabby shack that Ryan expected. It was a nice house for a family. A tricycle leaned against the garage door. The recently cut grass swayed a little in the 3 AM breeze.

"Do we even have a plan?" Ryan asked.

Kelly thought for a second, "Uh... we get him to confess to killing Blake and then we call the police."

"Why don't we call the police now?"

"Because we don't actually have evidence." Erica replied.

"Shouldn't his car still have blood on it?"

"Right! If he was drunk he wouldn't have cleaned it or anything." Kelly and Erica got out of the car excitedly, but Ryan stayed back for a second. She didn't want to confront him. He killed Blake. All Ryan could think of was that limp body of a boy she knew, lying in the middle of the road. The road was cold too. He died on the cold road. So she listened to the music, which fit the situation way too well.

 

_Tell me where you want to go_

_You got the gun in your hands_

_I know you got plans_

_You should pull the hammer back_

_You could be on the time_

_Girl, I know you'll take me down, down, down_

Ryan heard the last line and got out as fast as she could. She almost fell out of the car too. Kelly and Erica looked back at Ryan, and motioned for her to join them.

"Oh, there you are."

"What the hell is that playlist?" Ryan asked.

"Really? I thought you liked that stuff." Kelly replied.

"Ok, Jennifer—"

"You mean Ryan."

"Fine, whatever. Get on top of my shoulders." Erica said as she squatted down.

"What?"

"We need you to open up one of those garage windows so you can lift the door from the inside. I'd have Kelly do it, but you're lighter."

"Isn't that trespassing?"

"We're talking about a murderer here!"

Ryan sighed. She'd given up arguing anymore. Erica bent down for Ryan to get on her shoulders. There was a window in the top of the garage that Ryan opened. She poked her head through first, and then crawled halfway through the window.

"You good?" Kelly asked.

"Almost... there..." Ryan replied. But she lost her grip on the window frame, and fell forward. In an instinctual movement, Ryan covered her head to avoid hitting it again, and landed on her shoulder.

"Jennifer!"

Ryan sat up, "how many times do I have to say it? My name is Ry—"

Her sentence was cut short by the image before her. The front of the car. Splattered with blood. Ryan felt like she was about to throw up. Images of Blake's body rushed into her mind. One dead body after another. At the hands of this machine. And its driver.

"Ryan?" Erica asked. Ryan stood up and looked around. After a while, she walked over to the entrance to the garage and hit a button labeled "open". The garage door lifted with a creaking noise characteristic of old doors to haunted mansions.

Erica cupped her hands over her mouth "Oh... god."

"THAT BASTARD!" Kelly shouted. She clenched her fists.

Then, the door to the garage opened up. Ryan backed away from the man who stumbled into the garage. The boxer short and tank top that he wore hadn't been cleaned in days. He barely gripped his shotgun hard enough to stop it from slipping out of his hands.

"What the fuck?" he said.

"YOU BASTARD!" Kelly shouted back.

"You better get the fuck out of here, or I'll blow your goddamned brains out." He lifted his gun toward Kelly and Erica. He didn't notice Ryan, who trembled in his peripheral vision.

"YOU MURDEROUS SON OF A BITCH!" Kelly shouted. She couldn't register the gun behind her blinding rage. He killed Blake. That's all Kelly cared about.

"You're just like the other kid. A pain and in my way." The man said. His hands shook as he aimed at Kelly. Ryan trembled. No. Not again. It hasn't even been a day yet. Not again.

Bang.

The man shot.

He completely blew the windows out of his car.

And also missed Kelly. Ryan had grabbed the gun from behind and pointed it away from her friends. The man's grip on the gun was so weak that he actually let go of it, and found himself staring down its barrel. Ryan still trembled.

 

_Before we fall to pieces, before we fall to the ground_

_I want you to know, girl I know you'll take me down_

_Before we fall to pieces, before we fall to the ground_

_I want you to know, girl I know you'll take me down, down, down, down_

Thoughts of Blake ran through Ryan's mind. She could end all that right now. She had a gun. Kelly and Erica didn't say anything. They just stared at Ryan.

"Say you're sorry."

"What?"

"Say that you're sorry. Apologize." Ryan said.

"I'm sorry?"

Ryan hit him with the front of the gun, "Mean it!"

"I'm sorry!" The man said. Ryan took a deep breath. She turned the safety of the gun on by instinct and threw it across the garage. She didn't remember, but she had handled guns a few times before. Somewhere deep in her conscious, she remembered things like that. She looked back at the drunk man. Only two thoughts came to her: "How pathetic" and "I'm tired of this."

"Let's go guys." Ryan said as she walked toward the car. The song had ended, and so had Kelly's playlist. Ryan only heard the sound of her feet against the cold ground. Erica and Kelly were still dumbstruck by what they had seen.

"C'mon. I don't have the keys." Ryan said. Kelly and Erica shook their heads. They still hadn't quite come to grips with what had happened, but they still shambled toward the car. Before Ryan climbed into her seat, she turned around to take one last look at the man she had threatened. He still trembled, but he hadn't moved or anything.

"Blake." Ryan said. The man looked at her and cocked his head to the side.

"His name was Blake. He'd want you to remember that." Ryan said. Then she got in the back of the car and waited for Kelly and Erica to take her home. Even though she couldn't remember what home was. But she didn't care. She was tired. So she slept, and dreamt of waking up to Blake telling her that her name was Ryan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics are from the song, The Take Down by Dabin and Koda


End file.
